For my next camping spot I reserved 4 nights at the Boulder Creek RV park in Lone Pine, CA. Now this is NOT at all like the Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz mountains! Located on the flat Owens Valley floor at around 4000ft its all desert heat and high winds. Here is my view.
The park was nice and had a pool and laundry facility, they can’t help the weather or wind.
Planning to make the most of being in the area I consulted some of the top 10 “to-do” lists for Lone Pine. Having all afternoon left after setting up camp. I visited the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine.
If you ever watched western movies from the 60’s and 70’s including just about any John Wayne movie, The Lone Ranger or Bonanza TV series , you have seen the Alabama Hills area which is Lone Pine’s claim to Fame.
I was surprised to learn that the opening scene to Iron man was shot here as well as the movie Tremors. Now fully educated I decided to take a drive and explore Movie road in the Alabama hills.
Pretty sure I even found the local “hangin tree”
I was surprised to find people were camping in the area, since its all BLM land you can camp, but wow that is roughing it with daytime temps well into the 100’s.
Still having plenty of daylight left I visited the nearby Japanese internment camp Manzanar. Only a few buildings remain as a reminder of this shameful period in US history, and I think being mindful of the constant heat the park service has set it up so you can tour the majority of the site from the comfort of your air conditioned car.
The next day I decided to take the drive down 395 to visit Kennedy Meadows, I had read about it frequently as it is a well known stop over for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. It looked like a nice drive and had the added advantage of being high altitude which would make it cooler than the predicted 110 in the valley!
After visiting Kennedy Meadows campground I decided to continue further west and bag another Sierra pass. Sherman pass (elevation 9,200ft) was just a few miles further. It was a very fun and scenic drive but I will also add it to my passes to not tow over list. 😆
As always I wanted to find a scenic spot to break my fast with a picnic. I literally could not drive pass up the opportunity to visit once I saw the sign…
I have to say it was a great spot, it was cool, peaceful and I had it all to myself. There was a great rock formation that has a natural stair case leading to a flat rock that is just perfect to sit on and ponder the view. I also saw my first Snow Flower. (The little red flower pictured below that someone had protected with a pine cone fence.)
On the way down I noticed Joshua Trees growing on the hillside at around 4000ft, I wasn’t aware they grew this far North.
The next day I decided to explore the Horseshoe Meadow Trail which was on the top 10 list and had the advantage of being at high altitude as well. It did not disappoint. The road zig zags up from the valley floor and provides for some amazing views of the entire Owens Valley below. At the top at around 10,000ft is the campground, day use area and several trailheads including the Cottonwood lakes and New Army pass. This is a great alternative to the overcrowded Whitney Portal.
After relaxing in the day use area for most of the morning I did some hiking and exploring on the slopes returning to the valley and found a nice little stream hidden just off the road. (Pro tip: if you see locals parked off the side of the road, check it out).
For my last full day I will be visiting the Ancient Bristlecone Forest so watch for the next post!
Hey Its Gregg! 
Wow great pictures and awesome write up. It sounds like a real adventure. You are setting the right tone for retirement. Looking forward to the next post. Have a great time. Stay cool.
LikeLiked by 2 people